


File: Penny Fleck

by Lonewritersclub



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Joker (2019)
Genre: Arkham Asylum, Art just wants his mother's file, Art's not doing well, But the staff is even worse, rude doctors, some violence, they won't let him have
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-25 00:44:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21347497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lonewritersclub/pseuds/Lonewritersclub
Summary: Arthur gazes up to the guards that don’t leave. They have their arms folded over their chests and they are staring back at him.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	File: Penny Fleck

What’s this man? What is his name? Who is he?

It’s that man from the reception. Where they keep the hospital files. Dusty old files collecting more dust and more files. What’s his name?

Oh, the nametag!

It reads Carl. Yes. That’s his name. Carl.

Carl’s a big guy.

Not overly buff or anything. But big enough to overpower him for sure. He looks a little hesitant, Carl.

Why is that? Is he laughing again? Is he laughing? No. No, he’s just asking the wrong questions.

Carl’s staring at him. Funnily. Why is that? He just needs his mother’s file. That’s all. Just let him have it, Carl. What’s the big deal?

Carl’s pulling the file back, though. Back into the dusty shelves.

That’s not good.

He needs that file. He needs Carl to give it to him. He doesn’t trust him to tell the truth. He can see Carl’s lying. He needs that file.

So?

Just take it then. He can’t stop you. Not if you’re fast enough.

Arthur grabs it. Grabs it right through the hatch in the metal partition.

Carl shouts. Tries to fight him off. But Arthur’s determined. Carl can’t stop him. Not when it comes to this. With a vicious pull, Carl’s grip on the file slips and it’s time to run.

Arthur runs like a manic through the hallway, towards the closest exit. It’s a stairwell.

When the door shuts behind him, Carl’s yelling can’t be heard anymore.

He flies down two sets of stairs until he’s reassured enough to take a halt. He’s gasping for breath at first, leaning against a wall out of exhaustion. Quickly he goes to open the file, though, to inspect it. He doesn't know how much time he's got. He can’t hesitate with this. The need to _know_ burns at his throat.

Arthur starts reading.

As soon as he does, his hands feel still, still as frozen. But they are shaking. Trembling like feathers in the wind.

Him reading _this_. It’s hurting his head, as if he were heavily drunk. The words on the file, the blurry black and white photos, they swim in front of him in a pool of black and white and all things hurtfully bright. Yet he can’t feel a thing anymore.

Arthur slides down the wall.

Are the memories real?

The images fly through his mind but he’s not sure he's actually seen them. Are they just another hallucination or is it true the way his head instinctively lurches to the side when the imaginary punch of a large fist hits his left temple and stars shine in his eyes? Is it real?

Arthur chews on his lip. Following the text of the file right back up to the basic information. 

And it's a no.

The _reason_ he needed the file. The answer is no. Mister Thomas Wayne is _not_ in fact Arthur’s father.

That’s not so bad. It’s not. Arthur doesn’t care about Mister Wayne. Mister Wayne can leave his thoughts for now.

What Arthur’s really thinking about is his mother and all of her lies and all of her painful suffocating love and freezing hungry neglect and the way her object of affection presses bruises into his skin and forces him into positions he doesn’t want to be in.

Arthur thinks about that as he stares at blurry photos of her mother and of himself in the file. Photographed seperately. 

Blood trickles frown the corner of Arthur’s mouth. Down his chin it goes.

He’s biting his cheek. Oopsy daisy...

Arthur gets back on his feet. Unstable they are but he manages it. He closes the file.

He needs to see his mother.

He needs to see Penny.

Then, somewhere above the stairs, a door opens

“There he is!”

Arthur isn’t quick enough this time. The guards catch him and the file is ripped out of his blood stained hands.

Carl stares at him. Worse than before. He takes the file.

“You gotta understand. She had lied to me”, Arthur tells him. Blood splatters into the air as he speaks. The guards' hold on his arms tighten.

Carl shakes his head. He’s too concerned with Arthur’s insanity to really listen to him. Arthur laughs and this time it’s real. He can’t believe this is all happening and then again of course it is. It's _so_ funny.

Arthur expects the guards to introduce the doors to him but instead they sit him down into an empty seat on the white grimy hallway. Between the old woman who’s mumbling to herself and the bald man who keeps licking his lips continuously.

Arthur gazes up to the guards that don’t leave. They have their arms folded over their chests and they are staring back at him.

Arthur cleans up the blood from his face with his jacket sleeve. Yellow turns to rusty red. 

A minute in and the door next to the seats opens.

A doctor.

“Alright, get him inside”, he says tiredly. Then one of the guards grabs Arthur’s arm and hauls him up before pushing him inside the doctor’s office.

Arthur looks around himself, the regular plain looking office, and to the doctor who shuts the door behind them. There’s a cactus on his desk.

“Take a seat”, he says and walks over to his side of the desk. The important side.

Arthur sits.

He wants to leave but he’s not sure he can.

“I was told you stole a file from our patient archives”, he says, still without really looking at Arthur until he does, very jadedly.

“That’s illegal.”

Arthur is careful not to shift in the hard uncomfortable chair.

“I didn’t steal it. I just needed to borrow it.”

“Yes, well, without the permission of our staff, you cannot just borrow confidential patient files. If you take one anyway, it’s stealing”, the doctor mutters and opens up another file on his desk.

“I heard from Carl that you’re Penny Fleck’s son... Arthur. Is that right?”

Arthur nods, a bit hesitantly now himself. He looks at the suspicious file.

“We have you here on record, too. You had treatment a couple of years ago, it seems... How did that work _out_ for you?”

It’s barely a question. It’s more like an insult. Arthur grimaces.

“Can I leave now? Please. You have the file back. Let me just go.”

The doctor peers over his file at him. He looks like he hates him. Arthur doesn’t know why. Or maybe he doesn’t care to think why.

“Where’s your hurry? You’re always in such a hurry. Running from our security and nurses…" the doctor despises him on. "What do you need to do, Arthur? Where are you going?”

Arthur can barely breathe anymore. This is ridiculous.

“I have to go see my mother. She’s in the hospital”, Arthur tells him.

“Yeah? What’s wrong with her?”

That’s it. Arthur stands up and reaches for the lapels of the white coat on the doctor’s back. Then he pulls sharply. 

The doctor’s head bumps up from the wooden table once with a thud, and then it just lays there. Next to the cactus. Arthur lets his vicious grip of him go.

“Lots of things.”

Arthur leaves to go see her then. The guards don’t stop him this time.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. Long time no see, huh? Well glad you could make it back for this old drabbly thing. Yes, yes of course I went to see Joker. Some of you maybe already know how I felt about the movie but nonetheless I did think there were some good elements to it and I wanted to play with those. 
> 
> Let me know how you liked this twist of events and how you enjoyed the film.  
And of course, thanks for reading!


End file.
